Three's a Charm
by Crazybird101
Summary: Tai Lung finds Shen and Wolf Boss floating down a river one day. Two years later they are living together happily as friends. But in hiding as well. But when a band of dangerous brothers escape prison and kidnap an elderly woman's grandchildren for purposes unknown, the trio must journey through China to save them. All the while trying to avoid the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five.
1. Chapter 1

***Yawn* I'm tired. And welcome to my first Kung Fu Panda fic! But please know that this isn't one of those fics where there's an OC falling in love with someone involved. There are OCS but they won't appear until later. But this will mainly be focused around my three favorite KFP villains: Lord Shen, Tai Lung, and Wolf Boss. Or Lang in this case. **

**This is an AU at the end of KFP 2 and after. In this: Lord Shen doesn't kill Wolf Boss. I don't know if he really dose because it's possible for someone to survive being stabbed multiple times with knives. Plus Wolf Boss was wearing armor. But that's what I think XD**

**I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda T-T.**

**X.X**

_It was cold. _

_Or that's what Shen thought. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw were the faint colors of fireworks blasting outside, hearing that 'boom' faintly. The peacock was beginning to think that the water was flooding his brain. If that was even possible. Around him the remains of ships and other carnage were sinking with him. Into the dark depths of the ocean. Where they would be forgotten. _

_At this moment, Shen's eyes fully opened and he panicked. He was running low of oxygen. Or was he even alive still? But he wouldn't want to stay and find out the hard. Ignoring the pain that racked throughout his entire body, he forced himself to swim up to the surface. Regardless whether someone sees him or not. He didn't give a damn right now. _

_He got excited when he got close to the surface. Close to the colors of the sky he so envied. Soon the tips of his feathery fingers touched the surface before his entire body finally managed to break free of its liquid prison. The former prince gasped for air before swiming to a piece of debris floating. Once there he clung on tightly. His life did depend on it in this case. After coughing up a bit of sea water, Shen looked around and realised he was on the other side of Gongmen Harbor. Meaning he wasn't anywhere near that fat panda and his friends. _

_But before the peacock could think of anything else, something else jumped out of the water as well. He squawked in surprise before he realised it was the Wolf Boss, Lang. The wolf himself didn't look too good as well. He was coughing up a mixture of blood and water. _

_"Lang..." Shen whispered weakly. _

_Lang's ears perked up by this. Not having heard someone call him by his name in a very long time. It was...sweet to the wolf. He grinned weakly at the peacock. "You have...no idea...how long I've waited for someone to say...my name." he said weakly. _

_A smirk appeared on Shen's beak. "I never forgot." he said. _

_"I thought you did." the wolf said softly. _

_The peacock was silent after he said that before grunting in pain. His chest hurt terrible from the explosion. But he didn't want to let go. He looked up at Lang. He was terrible. Parts of his armor were missing and he could see bits of blood leaking out in some places. "Lang..." Shen whispered. _

_"I-I'm fine...urk." the wolf grunted before grinning painfully._

_The peacock's headfeathers flattened against his small, white head. And then...he did something he thought he wouldn't do in a million years. He weakly took the wolf's paw and squeezed it gently. What he said next was totally unsuspecting. _

_"I-I'm sorry L-Lang. Not only did I f-fail you as a l-leader. B-but as a f-friend too." Shen said weakly, feeling himself lose consciousness again. _

_The wolf smiled painfully, a tear rolling down his already wet cheeks. "Y-you will a-always be that s-same little chick I b-bumped into a-as a pup. M-my friend." he said weakly. _

_Shen smiled weakly, the tears threatening to fall from his watery eyes. He told himself that he wouldn't cry. But since they were possibly dying then might as well. "S-see you on t-the other side..." Shen whispered before finally succumbing to the darkness once more. _

_Lang's ears flattened sadly and he whimpered like a sad dog. "W-wait for me. Ow." he grunted before losing consciousness as well. Shen never did let go of Lang's paw._

_But that didn't mean they died..._

_In fact, this was their wake up call._

_..._

_Tai Lung was sitting near the river that was by the small house he made his home in with a bamboo fishing rod in his paws. Bamboo is pretty strong you know. But anyway, the snow leopard was spending the morning trying to catch his breakfast. So far he was doing a terrible job at it. Depsite beging a cat. _

_"Damn it!" he muttered when he brought his line up. Only to find that the bait was gone. Again. He sighed. Its back to buying his breakfast again. Standing up with his fishing rod at hand, he made his way up the small slope and towards the back entrance of his home. His left ear suddenly twitched for some reason. He looked back at the river and suddenly found something floating down it gently. _

_He placed his rod against the wall of his house and went back down the slope to get a better look. Once he was at the edge of the river he finally got a better look. It looked like...a peacock and a wolf! The two were clinging to a piece of debris, unaware that they were floating down the river. Instinct told Tai Lung that he must get them out. Even if they were dead, it was wrong to just let them float down the river as cold corpses. _

_The leopard immediately dived in and swam for the two. Tai Lung hated swimming. Because his kind, snow leopards, were use to the mountains. Not rivers. Once he reached them, a strange sense of deja vu hit him when he saw the peacock. He looked vaguely familiar. But it didn't matter. He grabbed him and the wolf and pulled them to shore. _

_Once there he check their pluses. You may never know after all. His ears perked up happily. They were still alive. He had to get them inside before hypothermia kicks in. He carefully dragged the two inside his home. There were only two rooms: the rest room and the main room which had his kitchen and bed. Luckily he had spare ones in case anyone decided to visit him. Three years of living in hiding and they still don't know who he really is. And Tai Lung tended to keep it that way. After placing the two on separate beds he quickly ran to the closet and pulled out some extra towels. _

_These two were soaked. And by the looks of it, possibly injured. He brought out the necessary things needed to treat small injuries and carefully removed the top part of their clothing. His eyes widened when he saw the massive injuries they had. Especially the peacock. He needed an expert healer to help him with this one. And luckily he knew just who to get. _

_..._

_An elderly cheetah, Asiatic cheetah to be exact, was humming a cute little tune as she watered her herbs for the morning. She wore a pink silk dress with flora patterns along with wooden sandals. She was slightly hunched, but was perfectly healthy. On her forward was star. Or a spot shaped like a star. This was a mark she's had since birth. Which given her the name Taraka. Which means Star. _

_"Taraka!" Tai Lung yelled as he approached the fence that surrounded her garden. _

_The elderly cat looked up and smiled. "Tai Lung, what a pleasant surprise." she said. _

_Tai Lung panted before standing up on all fours. "I *pant* need your help *pant*." he panted. _

_Taraka's ears perked up at this. "What is it darling? Are you hurt?" she asked after putting her watering can away. _

_"I *pant* found two people *pant* floating down the river *pant* this morning." Tai Lung replied. _

_Taraka's yellow eyes widened and she placed a paw over her mouth in horror. "Oh my!" she gasped. _

_"Yes. That's why I ran all the way here to get you because I don't have the necessary equipment to heal them." Tai Lung said. _

_Taraka nodded seriously. "I'll get my things. Wait here." she said before going back in her house. _

_Tai Lung sighed in relief. Taraka was a sweet old lady who's children had already grown up and left the house. Her grandchildren rarely come by to visit because they live in Japan. But when they do she's always excited to see them. Even if they are infant cubs. Tai Lung even comes by just to visit her sometimes. And when the cubs are here he often plays with them. Dear little things. _

_The front door opened and Taraka stepped out with a small pack on her back. "I'm ready. Take me to them." she said. Tai Lung nodded. He just prayed they weren't too late..._

**X.X**

**Long...prologue O_O**

**Well that's the prologue! In the next chapter it's gonna skip two years later. By then you can probably guess what happened during those two years but I'll get into that another time. And yes, you could say that this is connected to my one-shot No one's perfect. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes you might see. Its hard typing on a phone! :( **

**R&R and have a nice day/night ^-^**

**Peace! ^-^ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Kudos to the people who reviewed the first chapter :D**

**Now in this chapter, we're gonna fast forward two years later. So by now Shen and Lang are use to staying with Tai Lung. And yes, Shen and Tai Lung remember each other now. But I'll get to that later XD **

**Here's a little info on Taraka: Taraka's family are Asiatic Cheetahs who immigrated from India when she was a newborn cub. She has a daughter named Xue, which means snow, who is living in Japan with triplets. Yes, triplets. Taraka was the one who found Tai Lung injured and nursed him back to health. Her kindness is what caused Tai Lung to finally see the light. Taraka and her family are the only ones who knew his secret while the other villagers think he's your average neighbor next door.**

**I do not own Kung Fu Panda T-T**

**But I own the OCs though! :D**

**X.X**

Ning wasn't that well known around China. Not that very big either. Small houses. A few shops here and there. Tight-nit community if you ask a resident. Everyone knew each other. They treated one another like family almost. The village itself was very isolated. It was near a large river. Mountains visible in the background. And trees all over the place.

Mist greeted the villagers when they first woke up. But it was just part of their daily lives. By early afternoon the village was bustling with life. Villagers either shared gossip with one another or they simply went shopping. Among them were three unlikely residents who went to the village daily to buy supplies or sell their catches. Villagers through nothing of it and treated them normally. But what they didn't know that these particular villagers, are actually three of China's most notorious criminals.

A pig merchant was humming cheerfully as he tied a bag full of Banana Rolls tightly before handing them to the customer. "Here you go gentlemen." he said.

In exchange one of the three handed him some coins. "Thanks again Yu." Tai Lung said before handing Shen the bag. He could sense Lang eyeing it hungrily and he trust that Shen wouldn't hand him one. Lang wasn't the only one who loved Banana Rolls. The trio bowed respectfully before leaving.

"You three have a nice day now!" Yu said while waving cheerfully.

The trio waved back and continued their way through the village. Shen could feel Lang's gaze fixed directly at the bag which held their treats. He finally sighed when he heard a soft whimper coming from him. "I swear by the Gods Lang. You're acting like you're starving to death!" Shen snapped.

Lang's ears flattened sadly. "Can I at least have one?" he asked.

Tai Lung rolled his eyes. "For the Gods' sake your acting like a child right now. You can wait until we get home." he said.

"But I've waited three weeks now! Just-give-me-_one_." he begged in a whiny tone.

"Fine!" Shen groaned before opening the bag and taking out a Banana Roll. It smelled of Cinnamon and Vanilla that made Shen's beak water hungrily for one as well. He quickly handed Lang the Banana Roll.

Lang grinned happily before he immediately chowed down on it. The sticky rice mixed with the cinnamon swirl filling touched his tastebuds as he happily took in the flavor. For Lang, he was in heaven. That taste of cinnamon was still present in his mouth even after he finished his. Shen and Tai Lung exchanged smiles before they shook their heads. That's Lang for you. The trio soon returned to their small home near the river and eagerly stepped in. Once inside they quickly gathered around the wooden table they had like eager children and watched as Shen open the bag once more and dumped all the Banana Rolls on a plate.

The trio sat in separate chairs and helped themselves to the goodies. Of course they needed to wait until after supper so they only had a few. For supper they were having fish soup, a recipe that Taraka had given them. Tai Lung surprisingly knew how to cook. But that's because Taraka was the one who taught him. Tai Lung's cooking was alright. But personally Shen would rather survive on the loaves of bread Lang and his wolves had stolen during their exile. But the soup was good. And a bit hot.

Lang learned that the hard way and he soon found himself chugging down his water. Shen let out a laugh of amusement while Tai Lung face-palmed. "Didn't I say it was _hot_?" Tai Lung said slowly before slurping up a noodle from his spoon. Lang didn't reply. Instead he was slouched on his chair panting. After doing the dishes, which was Shen's turn this week, Lang lit up a candle while Tai Lung brought out a box of dominos.

This is how they would spend their evenings together: either playing with dominos or sharing a piece of gossip one of them picked up during their visit to the village. Lang chuckled when Shen accidentally knocked down all of the dominos Tai Lung had set up already.

"Whoops." was Shen's only saying.

Tai Lung shook his head before chuckling as well. He simply set up the dominos once more and they resumed their game. They would chuckle, eat Banana Rolls, and start all over again before they were finally tired. Shen blew the candle out and the three settled down in their separate beds. Luckily the house was bid enough to hold three beds.

"Good night you guys." Tai Lung yawned.

"Good night." Shen managed to mutter before falling asleep. But Lang was already sleep. The wolf had tendency to fall asleep right away once he touches a bed. And when he dose he becomes one hell of a heavy sleeper. Not even multiple cannon shots could wake him up. But Shen and Tai Lung preferred it that way.

...

The next morning the village was bustling with life then usual. Merchants and store owners were quickly opening up shop while residents begun putting up moon shaped decorations around their homes. It was almost time for the Moon festival. This was Tai Lung's favorite holiday of the year. Why you ask? Because the triplets were coming! They always came during this time of year to spend time with Taraka. Taraka had even allowed Tai Lung to join them during the festival as well. Along with Shen and Lang, of course.

"Well everyone seems animated today." Shen said when he saw a rabbit resident speed by them with a load of decorations in his little arms.

Tai Lung nodded. "I can't wait to see the triplets, again. I've waited all year for this." he said with a small smile.

"Raiden, Sho, and Kasumi? Yeah, I'm just looking _forward _to it." Shen muttered.

"You're still mad about last year?" Tai Lung asked with a frown.

"No!" there was a brief pause before Shen added, "Maybe."

"It was an accident." Tai Lung sighed.

"An accident that caused mud to stain my robes!" Shen added.

"At least it was washable."

"Yes. But I had to stay naked for most of the day!"

"It was either staying naked, or wearing the kimono."

Shen shot Lang a glare when heard him snicker. They soon approached Taraka's home, where they found her setting up some Moon festival decorations. The elderly cat spotted them and a warm smiled appeared on her lips.

"Hello, dears." she greeted.

"Hello, Taraka." the men said in unison.

Taraka smiled as Tai Lung helped her down the small stool she was using to hand some of her decorations up around the house. "What brings you three here?" she then asked as she straightened out her autumn kimono.

"We were just walking by the neighborhood." Shen replied. He hated to admit it, but Taraka reminded him a lot of the soothsayer.

"Do you need any help with the decorations?" Tai Lung asked.

Taraka's ancient eyes glittered with gratitude. "That would be nice, darling." she said, that soft indian accent clear in her tone.

"Let's just hope Lang doesn't break anything again." Shen muttered as he followed the others into the house. Lang frowned.

...

"Ning Village?" Po asked as he looked at the map that was given to him by Master Shifu.

The elderly red panda nodded. "Yes. Ning village is scarcely known about in these parts. But it's a great place to celebrate the Moon festival in. According to some, the best mooncakes are held there."

That caught Po's attention. His green eyes sparkled with excitement and a grin spread across his face. "Master! Can we go?! Pleeeeeeeeease?! Can we go?! Can we go?!" he asked in an almost begging tone. The panda yelped when he was suddenly hit on the head with Oogway's staff.

"Calm down, panda!" Shifu hissed, "Let me finish!" he then regained his calm composure, "I have a relative that lives in that very village. I visit her once a year during the Moon festival."

"Oh! That's why you're always gone during the week." Po gasped.

Shifu nodded. "Yes. And she's very...special to me." the old master added quietly, "But, since she's been wanting to meet you and the five for a long time now, I've decided to have you all come along for the week."

Po suddenly let out a whoop of joy, fist pumping in the air. "YEEEEEEEES!" he cheered. Startling Shifu and the five for a bit.

"But, Master," Tigress added, "What about the valley? With all of us gone, who's gonna watch over the people?"

"Don't worry." Shifu said assuringly, "The bandits, I know, won't come out. Even they celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Now, I want you all to return to your rooms and pack up the necessary things that would be needed. Ning is a three day travel by foot. Which is why we're going to leave first thing in the morning before dawn. Now, go!"

"Yes, master." Po and the five said in unison, bowing respectfully before leaving the courtyard to the training hall. Shifu smiled. Picking up Oogway's staff at the thought of seeing that special relative again. He wondered if he should tell his students now. The red panda shook his head. No. He would make it a surprise. For all of them.

**X.X**

***Gasp* who is this special relative of Shifu's? And sorry about the late update 'n all... Don't hate me.**

**Anyway, I'm gonna say something about this band of evil brothers. First of all, they're not really related. Two of them are adopted brothers, but not blood related. We'll see them soon, though. And, er, they're inspired by these three killers from a movie I wanted to see... Yeah.**

**Please R&R and have a nice day/night ^-^**


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